North of Laos and Bumpy Bus rides

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After a few days in Huay Xai we decided to head farther North to Muang Sing. We caught the bus to Luang Namtha for 55000 Kip which climbed and twisted through jungle clad mountains. Then we changed buses to Muang Sing 30000 Kip. It was a long twisting journey that passed some beautiful jungle hills/mountains and through roadside villages. The journey to Muang Sing was a really windy gravel road through a narrow jungle mountain pass that eventually opened out onto a large flat valley. It was not the most pleasant ride with a sore back but the jungle valleys and passing tiny villages plotted on the sides of jungle hills made the ride worth it. Geoff picked up a giant pineapple, from the one roadside stop. One of the best pineapples we've ever tasted. Muang Sing is a very quiet town with a few restaurants and run down guesthouses. Because of the number of empty guesthouses in the small town it seems that the estimate of tourists the locals were expecting was miscalculated. We found a cheap but clean guesthouse and spent 3 nights in Muang Sing. We also found a really nice restaurant tucked off the main road. Their Laap (ground meat with fresh herbs) was deliciously fresh and not at all drenched in oil. We went back a few times even though the service was average.

The sleepy town was very quiet during the day but in the evening there was a club blasting music every night and locals were enjoying Karaoke. We went to the small museum and learned about the tribal groups in the North of Loas. We were hoping to do a trek into the mountains to visit different villages but we ended up just renting a motorbike for the day to cruise around town. We tried to head to the China border but after a short ride we were stopped by officers at a check point. As we were driving back towards Maung Sing we stopped at one village with bamboo huts and children playing outside on the rice fields. Some children had sling shots and they showed us how to use them. We were amazed by the children's strength and aim with the homemade sling shots. After a short visit we motorbiked across the valley and up a steep and twisting mountain road. The road started out fairly tame passing rice paddies and farmers' fields but got steeper as we passed rice terraced valleys and then further passed bamboo huts hanging off the edge of steep mountain sides where farmers had cleared land to plant corn, banana trees and other crops. After an hour heading up and winding around the mountain we thought we would reach the top or at least pass a village but the steep gravel road kept going. Meanwhile, locals on bigger motorbikes cruised by us giving us surprised looks. When we stopped to take in the view we saw a black thunder cloud hovering above us so we head back. We didn't want to be sliding down a soaked, steep and kinda scary mountain. Back on the highway though, still not willing to give up, we attempted driving to the next town about 30km away but the road was just too difficult for our little bike. It was mostly slippery mud in between bumpy dry patches. Heading back to Muang Sing we could see the mountain we were exploring earlier was being pummled by heavy rain and was shrouded in mist. Anyways, before reaching town we got completely soaked (at least we were on pavement) and I realized I lost my Valentines Day ring. BOOH!

The night market for food was set up in a large open space. The area looked like it was built for a large market but there was only eight vendors and the food choices were very limited. Geoff tried a bowl of what turned out to be pickled tripe, mmmm (not)! Most nights we resorted to the handy and very tasty Pho (noodle soup) for a cheap and delicious meal. In the morning there was a large market with many vendors selling fresh produce. The meat was so fresh it didn't smell like the usual stinky wet market. We bought some food and fruit to munch on during the bumpy ride to our next destination.

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Photos

Muang Sing 034
living on the edge!
You can understand the difficulty with farming in Northern Laos, try driving a tractor up this!